Bomb-lance



(No Model.)

D. KELLEHER.

BOMB LANCE.

9 w 2 m. d e m w a P fl Fl G..3

W MA

Fl C 2 UNITED STATES PATENT! OFFICE.

DANIEL KELLEHER, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOMB-LANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 472,889, dated April12, 1892. Application filed December 4, 1891- Serial No. 414.023. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL KELLEHER, of New Bedford,.in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bomb- Lances; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and useit, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form .partof this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in bomb-lances; and it consistsin certain novel features of construction; which will be fully describedhereinafter, and more particularly referred to in the annexedolaims.

The object of my invention is to construct an improved lance for killingwhales, in which the charge of powder or other explosive is ignited bymeans of a fuse fired by a percussion-cap contained in avertically-moving hammer.

My invention relates more particularly to the construction of the hammerand the manner in which the cap is secured therein; also, the peculiarconstruction of the plug or anvil which connects the forward or pointportion of the lance with the rear or magazine portion.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View ofmyimpr oved lance. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a modification of thehammer. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a modification of theconnecting-plug and anvil.

V A represents the forward end of the lance, which is recessed and whichis pointed, as

shown.

B indicates the rear or magazine portion, and O the connecting-plugbetween the two members, which is provided with a projecting shoulder D,against which the adjacent ends of the sections abut. This shoulder onthe connecting-plug effectually prevents the escape of any flame whichmight pass downward from the upper end of the lance past theconnecting-plug and prematurely ignite the explosive contained in thelower portion of the lance. The portion 0 is formed with an openingextending its entirelength, which is constructed with screw-threadsextending inward from its lower end. Adapted to fit the lowerscrew-threaded portion is the hol low plug E, in which is secured at itsupper end the fuse-tube F. The opening in the said tube at its upper endis flared outward or enlarged for the purpose of admitting paper orother material, which is wrapped around the fuse before it is insertedtherein for the purpose of wedging the fuse tightly in place and insurethe filling of any space which might not be filled by the fuse andwhich, if not closed, would afford a passage for the spark or flame tothe explosive and cause a premature ignition of the same.

By the above-described construction the fuse is wedged tightly in thetube and the fire A can only reach the explosive by burning the lengthof the fuse. The plug E is also constructed with a shoulder E, whichbears against the lower end of the connecting-plug O and efiectuallycloses the lower screw-threaded openingin the said plug, so that thesaid opening is practically sealed against the passage of fire to theexplosive.

ward from the upper end of the plug 0 is the anvil G, through which thevertical fuse-opentime to time during a long voyage and the upper end ofthe fuse thus exposed freshened by trimming, and thus made moreignitible.

H represents the vertically-movinghammer, which is recessed upward fromits lower end, asshown in Fig. 1. The said recess is provided with fine.screw-threads part of its length. The percussion-capl is placed in theextreme inner end of the recess and is held in place by cap-tube J,which is also provided on its exterior with fine screw-threads, whichhold it in position in the hammer and against the cap. The hammer H' isprovided with a vertical slot H, and secured to the lower end Formedintegral with and extending up-.

of the cap-tube is a spring-wire J which eX- tends upward into the saidslot and prevents the cap-tube from turning in its seat in the hammer.

The hammerH is heldin position in the point end of the lance bytransverse wooden pin K, which supports the hammeruntil the lance isdischarged from the gun, when the resistance of the hammer to theforward movement of the lance will break the pin, and thus allow thehammer to move rearward, bringing the cap-tube in contact with the anvilG with force suflicient to crush the fine threads on the said tube andforce it against the cap, exploding the same. The spark from thisexplosion will drop through the cap-tube and ignite the upper end of thefuse, which is coated with wax or other suitable material.

A modification of the hammer is shown in Fig. 2, in which the cap-tube Jmoves freely in the opening in the hammer, the screwthreads shown inFig. 1 being dispensed with for holding the cap-tube in position. Inthis construction I employ depending spring-arms L, which are turnedinward at their lower ends, so as to engage the bottom surface of thesaid tube, and thus prevent it from dropplng from the hammer.

The great advantage in having the cap-tube secured to the hammer is thatafter the hammerhas been released and the cap-tube and anvil brought incontact the hammer drops away, leaving the opening in the anvil free andunobstructed, thus allowing the fire from the fuse to burn freelyoutward and not be impeded, as would be the case were the captubesecured directly over the fuse-opening.

The extended end of the anvil portion J is provided with transverseopenings M, which constitute an exit for the air contained in thecap-tube which is forced down ward by the mo plosion of the cap. Theforce is thus disposed which would otherwise be brought to bear upon thefuse tube, causing considerable strain thereon. A tail portion is hereshown for the rear end of the lance, which is provided with springactuated wings N,. and

' which are pivoted at their upper ends in slots 0, formed in the tailportion.

The outer edges of the wings are turned over, as shown, to form stopsagainst which the free ends of the doubled spring P bear. Two sets ofthese wings are employed, arranged at right angles to each other, andthey serve to guide the lance in a straight course.

I claim- 1. In a bomb-lance, an outer casing constructed with amagazine, a fuse extending therein, and an anvil at the outer end of thefuse, combined with a vertically-moving hammer, and a cap and a cap-tubecarried by said hammer, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a bomb-lance, an outer casing concess, whereby the said tube isprevented from turning, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a bomb-lance, the combination, with the hollow casing-sections, ahollow connecting-plug, and a fuse secured in the lower end of the plug,of a removable hollow anvil secured in the upper end of said plug, avertically-moving hammer, and a cap and a captube carried by saidhammer, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a bomb-lance, the combination, with the hollow casing-sections, ahollow connecting-plug having a projection at its upper end which formsan anvil, and a fuse-tube secured in said plug, of a vertically-movinghammer, and a cap and a cap-tube which are carried by said hammer,substantially as shown and described.

6. In a bomb-lance, the hollow casing-sections and a hollowconnecting-plug,combined with a fuse-tube holder secured in the lowerend of the said plug, a shoulder formed on the said holder, a fuse, ananvil, a cap, and a vertically-moving hammer, substantially as shown anddescribed.

7. The combination, with the hollow casingsection, a hollow plugconnecting them, and a fuse secured in the lower end of the plug,

of a removable hollow anvil secured to and projecting from the upper endof the said plug and which is provided with transverse openings in itsprojecting portion, a verticallymoving hammer, and a cap and a cap-tubewhich are carried by the hammer, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a bomb-lance, in combination, the hollow casing-sections, ahollowconnection therefor, a removable screw-threaded portion secured in thelower end of the said connection, a fuse-tube having a flaring upper endsecured in said portion, a fuse, a removable anvil in the upper end ofthe said connection, having a vertical and transverse opening, avertically-moving hammer, and a cap and a movable cap-tube secured insaid hammer, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL KELLEI-IER. Witnesses:

H. W. HERVEY, MARY F. HAMBLIN.

IIO

